I Miss U all my Blog

On a whim I ordered Only You from Netflix, I was pleasantly surprised. Faith is a little girl when she plays the Ouija board with her brother and asks it who her soul mate is, Faith gets the name “Damon Bradley”; as a teen she goes to a fortune teller and gets the same name which further enforces to Faith that a man named Damon Bradley is a powerful force in her future.

Now in her 20’s Faith is an English teacher who is engaged to be married, not to a man named Damon but to a podiatrist and the only ones that still know about Damon are her best friends including her sister in law Kate. 10 days before the wedding a friend of the groom calls Faith to cancel his RSVP because he has to go to Italy and it turns out his name is Damon Bradley. Faith decides to impulsively fly to Italy and track down Damon so she can at least get a look at him before she marries the podiatrist and Kate tags along. What follows is an impulsive journey that leads Kate to her real soul mate, but what she doesn’t know is that this man may not be Damon Bradley.

What is so enjoyable about Only You is that it feels like a classic Hollywood film from the 1950’s; the lovers are a perfect match, the conflict is complete and real, and the film is steeped in classic movie references. Just from my first viewing I recognized homages to Cinderella, Casablanca, Roman Holiday and a few others.

I must also say that as much as I really love Robert Downey Jr., I really rented this movie so I could see Bonnie Hunt. Ever since Jerry Maguire I have been in love with her sarcastic, no nonsense style of comedy and she is probably one of my favorite actresses. In Only You Bonnie does not disappoint and if I could choose a sister in law I would want one like her.

While this movie probably plays more to women than men I do have to say that this movie is a very fun watch, and an all around good, light-hearted film. Eventually, I see Only You being added to my DVD collection.

Director: Norman Jewison
Writer: Diane Drake
Faith: Marisa Tomei
Peter: Robert Downey Jr.
Kate: Bonnie Hunt
Giovanni: Joaquim de Almeida
Larry: Fisher Stevens
Damon Bradley/Harry: Billy Zane

Faith Corvatch: Why couldn't we just have arranged marriages in America?
Kate Corvatch: Yeah, at least you could spend the rest of your life blaming your parents instead of yourself.

Charlie Chaplin was one of the most influential individuals in film history and even today comedians look to him for inspiration. Chaplin is the bio-pic that tells the tale of Chaplin from his early childhood through his acceptance of his lifetime achievement Oscar near the end of his life.

I must first give props to Richard Attenborough because through his wonderful handling of the wild and twisty life of Charles Chaplin the performers life becomes more than just a history lesson, or a example of filmmaking at the start of the industry; the story is one of a man who wanted people to laugh, and wanted to make sure his films had something to say – the story is one that is far reaching and epic, yet rather than feeling long and strenuous the film feels as light and airy as Chaplin’s films were. Attenborough has to capture a main character at many ages, and in many historical eras and it is never labored or satirical. From the choice of costumes to every single actor that passes in front of the lens this film smacks of a director that knew exactly what he was achieving and how he came about it.

No matter who you are you cannot come out of watching Chaplin without being in awe of what Robert Downey Jr. does in that role. It is no wonder that this role garnered Downey his first Academy Award nomination. Like so few actors are truly capable of when you watch Downey portray Chaplin you quickly forget that he is Robert Downey Jr, and all you see if Charlie Chaplin. I can only marvel at exactly how Downey is able to inhabit the shoes of Chaplin so well, from the way the Tramp walked to creating the real life personality there are no missteps in this role. I commend Richard Attenborough for casting Downey, the film could have been something entirely different if another actor were in role.

Director: Richard Attenborough
Writers: William Boyd, Bryan Forbes & William Goldman
Charles Chaplin: Robert Downey Jr.
Hannah Chaplin: Geraldine Chaplin
Sydney Chaplin: Paul Rhys
Oona O’Neill: Moira Kelly
George Hayden: Anthony Hopkins
Mack Sennett: Dan Aykroyd
Mabel Normand: Marisa Tomei
Douglas Fairbanks: Kevin Kline
Mary Pickford: Maria Pitillo
Mildred Harris: Milla Jovovich
J. Edgar Hoover: Kevin Dunn
Paulette Goddard: Diane Lane
Rollie: David Duchovny

Charlie Chaplin: If you want to understand me, watch my movies.

Someone Like You is the story of Jane Goodale. She gets her heart broken when she dates a coworker and becomes utterly depressed, depressed enough to become obsessed with figuring out why men leave women and invents a pseudonym that allows her to write about her theory – new cow. However, during Jane’s depression she becomes close to coworker and womanizer Eddie and doesn’t realize that perhaps, not every man is as bad as she makes him out to be.

I have to say that this movie is slow and doesn’t really do anything…really, it’s kind of meandering and boring. I love Ashley Judd but her character is not all that compelling, and the world of day time television they exist in is bland and far too normal. However, this movie lives and breathes on the shoulders of Hugh Jackman – he makes Someone Like You worth watching, and really is why I own this movie. Any scene with Jackman is a scene worth watching, and his charisma rockets off the screen. This is a film that was out long before Jackman was a household name for anything other than X-men and it proves why he has gone all the way to being voted the sexiest man alive.

Directir: Tony Goldwyn
Writer: Elizabeth Chandler
Jane Goodale: Ashley Judd
Ray Brown: Greg Kinnear
Eddie Alden: Hugh Jackman
Liz: Marisa Tomei
Diane Roberts: Ellen Barkin

Jane: What is on your neck?
Eddie: I bit myself shaving.

Anyone who has seen The Fountain knows that you would never describe Aronofsky's work as simple or mainstream; that being said, The Wrester is by far Aronofsky’s most simple and mainstream story even though it is really nothing of the sort.

The Wrestler is the beautifully told tale of Randy “The Ram” a pro wrestler that hit it big in the 80’s, but the film is not about him then, it’s about him now – it’s been 20 years since his glory days and he is now living in poverty and obscurity. The only thing Randy has been able to hold onto is his love of wrestling and the charge he gets from the crowd so he continues to wrestle in any match he can find. The only problem is that the only part of his life that Randy understands and can control is his wrestling and when he tries to change that balance and have a life outside of wrestling and move past his days in the ring he is unable to do so.

In classic Aronofsky fashion this film is so layered that my brother and I were able to debate for quite awhile what the subtext in the film was, and even though we each had different thoughts neither of us could prove the other wrong.

While this is the most mainstream and easily digested of all Darren Aronofsky’s tales it is by no means a flat story and used many of the themes he loves to deal with. This film deals with aging, materialism, family and a character that seeks to regain prominence. Thematically I would say it is closest to Requiem for a Dream - just not nearly as disturbing or depressing.

One thing that truly makes Aronofsky’s films stand out from some other contemporary filmmakers is the performances he is able to get out of his actors and The Wrestler shows this yet again primarily through Mickey Rourke as Randy. I can honestly say that Rourke deserves an Oscar nomination for this film, and I had no idea he was capable of the sheer raw emotion he brings to this film.

I know that The Wrestler will not be a box office smash, it will actually probably piss off a lot of people that see it. However, for those that want to see a moving, relevant film I do recommend it.

Director: Darren Aronofsky
Writer: Robert D. Siegel
Randy “The Ram”: Mickey Rourke
Cassidy: Marisa Tomei
Stephenie: Evan Rachel Wood